From Siloam Springs, Arkansas, and heritage from El Salvador, senior Diego Flores is close to completing his major in Criminal Justice but also contributes to important causes including the Manna Center in Siloam Springs, the committee of men’s retreat and the future mission trip to Chicago organized by the University.
Flores says he mainly maintains engagement with his community through volunteering in Siloam Springs. He shared his experience volunteering at the Manna center, an emergency food pantry, where he has been involved for more than 6 months.
“I wanted to get involved because I feel like sometimes, we aren’t aware of the problems that the community has,” Flores said. He helps prepare the meals that the center hands out to people in need. “I thought being part of the center would teach me what the community struggles were, and the way reality is because it’s hard to see sometimes,” he said.
As well as his volunteering work, Flores also expressed his enthusiasm about being a student leader of men’s retreat on March 3, 4 and 5. He said it is a great way to be closer to other people but specifically to God.
“I think that an important part of this is that the retreat has a Gospel centered view.” Flores commented about the retreat.
He is also excited to go to Chicago, in one of the several mission trips JBU offers during Spring Break, and be a guide for others to learn about building communities up.
“I saw how impactful trips can be for people, I just wanted to be able to lead people through that process,” Flores said.
Flores has attended past mission trips during Spring break and shared that this experience was the most impactful of his experiences for him. The trip was focused on learning about immigration and students were able to see the border wall in El Paso, Texas.
“I thought I knew what migration was, but for me seeing, being there, and hearing the stories from the people going to both sides was really eye opening for me,” Flores said.
He described his experience as humbling, especially since it changed his view of immigration. “I walked away realizing that we can’t fix the problems that this world presents us and that only God is the one that can really fix everything and it’s up to us to depend on him.”
Because of that experience, Flores decided he wants to become a lawyer to be able to help others in immigration cases. His biggest dream is founding a firm where people in need can receive legal assistance without any difficulties of costs or discrimination.
Flores will graduate in December and plans to continue to do work for his community everywhere he goes.
“I realized that a person doesn’t have to make a big change for it to make a difference. It could just be the smallest things and as long as you’re giving your 100%, I think that’s worth it,” Flores said.